Halfpenny inspired the Lions to a series win over Australia with a 21-point haul in the third Test in Sydney.

by Brendan Bradford –

Leigh Halfpenny looks at the ground sheepishly, scratches his head and shuffles his feet. The media scrum leans in a little closer. Fresh off a Man-of-the-Match performance for the Lions in the deciding Test match in Sydney in which he set up two tries and scored 21-points from the boot, the 24-year old Welshman answers quietly.

“It’s nice to be able to create some tries for the boys, just a bit of counter-attack and great support from Jonny (Sexton) and George (North) really.

“I managed to get through the gap and put George through and it was just great work by the centres and Tommy Bowe through the hands and great support by Jonny for his. They were there and I just had to draw the man really.”

Some players spout off these adages as mere platitudes – not so Leigh Halfpenny. Typically understated – almost bashful – after being named Player of Series with a 49-point haul that edged out his kicking coach Neil Jenkins’ effort of 41 in 1997, Halfpenny continues to deflect praise to his teammates as the media horde climbs over each other to get recording devices closer to the softly spoken fullback.

Halfpenny celebrates after beating Australia and winning the Tom Richards Cup.

“I wouldn’t be able to put those goals over if it wasn’t for the hard work of my teammates and all credit goes to them. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without their hard work to get those penalties,” he says.

Kicking off his Lions tour with a 24-point, 11 from 11 showing against the Western Force, the Cardiff Blues playmaker scored a further 30-points against the Waratahs in another outstanding performance and finally – after losing a series, a couple of tour matches and the Bronze Medal game at the World Cup to the Wallabies – got sweet revenge in the biggest match on Australian soil in a decade. The first Lions series win in 16-years wasn’t without its ups and downs for Halfpenny though.

In Melbourne, a week before his scintillating display in Sydney, he missed a last minute penalty that could have secured the series with a match still to play. A perfectionist, the miss hit him hard.

“It was pretty tough after that game,” the 5’10” back from Gorseinon, near Swansea remembers.

“You have the chance to win it for the Lions and that’s what all the hard work is for and I was just devastated not to be able to do it. It stayed with me for a couple of days and it was tough to pick myself up.”

After a few of days off in Noosa and with the support of his team, Halfpenny got back to the training paddock, determined not to let the same thing happen again. The way he bounced back in the decider speaks volumes about his character and while his self-confidence is masked by modesty, it is relayed to the outside world by his actions and in the words of others.

“I spoke to him before the game and just said to him ‘give me a heads-up on your range and where you want to take them from,’” said captain for the third Test Alun Wyn Jones.

“He was just like ‘halfway, either side,’ and that was the conversation. He didn’t disappoint today, not only off the tee, but also with ball in hand as well. He’s established himself as pretty iconic in the game now and he’s been a talisman throughout the tour and all the plaudits he gets are more than well-deserved.”

Halfpenny showed his all-round talent by setting up two second half tries from swift counter-attack in Sydney.

Known primarily for his kicking ability, Halfpenny’s all-round effectiveness was never more evident than in the third Test – a fact not lost on Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor.

“He’s got a great work-rate and we spoke about that in this last game, pre-empting where he was going to be and trying to put it down the middle of the field,” said O’Connor.

“We found grass a few times, but he’s pretty hard to get grass on and he reads the game so well.”

Eight years ago, the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand saw the coming of age of Dan Carter as a Test-match quality flyhalf. Halfpenny, like Carter in ’05, has been on the international stage for a few years, but this tour cemented his spot as a superstar of the game and probably the best player in the Northern Hemisphere. In the years following his Lions evolution, Carter’s mastery in the black jersey saw him succeed English super-boot Jonny Wilkinson as the best player in the world. Only time will tell, but as DC reaches the twilight of his career, we may be about to see title of world’s best head back to the Northern Hemisphere with Halfpenny.

Fans of Will Genia will have something to say about that, but as the top Six Nations points-scorer for the last two seasons and the 2013 Player of the Tournament, Halfpenny’s record speaks for itself – even if he doesn’t.

After fending off more questions about breaking the Lions’ point scoring record, he’s asked what James Bond – played by actor Daniel Craig, who flew in especially for the occasion – said to him after the match. He breaks eye-contact again, scratches his head, mutters a few words about his teammates and says: “I didn’t meet James Bond actually, I was still out there but I managed to meet a few of my mates from Gorseinon.”